The Key To My Heart
by PhoenixFeather0198
Summary: Tired and scared, Pepper goes to Tony's house to find comfort in the man. But can Tony actually help her? Or will he just be his usual immature self and not help at all? Rating for mild abuse and sexual themes etc, mainly just to be safe. *EPILOGUE HAS NOW BEEN POSTED* This story is complete.
1. Chapter 1

**A/n: Hello! This is my first Iron Man fic, and naturally it had to be Pepperony! :D I have written chapter 2 of this, so if I get enough reviews, I will post it. Enjoy and please review!**

* * *

The Key to my Heart

_Tony's house. Just get to Tony's house. _Pepper thought, as she was driving along. The memory of what just happened was still flashing in front of her eyes.

* * *

_They were on the couch, watching a movie together, just like any other couple. Pepper was resting her head on John's shoulder, at peace with the world - well, as much as she could be. "Ginny..." John said, directing his gaze away from the television to her, "How do feel about taking our relationship a bit... further?"_

_"What do you mean?" _

_"Well, I don't know how to say this but...um..." _

_"John dear, just say it!" Pepper replied, feeling a slight twinge of annoyance at her boyfriend. John took a deep breath, and said, at the speed of light "Ok well all my friends who aren't single have done, y'know, _it_. And when I told them that we haven't yet, they implied that we weren't serious in this relationship and other stuff... So Ginny what I'm trying to say love is... We should sleep together."_

_Silence._

_"Ginny?" _

_"No." _

_"Huh?" _

_"I said no." Pepper told him, her voice steady and calm, trying to digest her boyfriends unpleasant news._

_"What do you mean, 'no'?" _

_"I mean, I'm not going to sleep with you. I've told you this a thousand times, I'm not ready."_

_John's eyes thinned as he stared at Pepper. She could tell he was annoyed._

"_Now you listen here. I have put up with your crap for long enough, and now, you're going to have to put up with my needs."_

"_But-"_

"_No buts. Now, come with me." Pulling Pepper along, John started to walk towards the bedroom. Pepper was incredibly annoying sometimes. She was twisting and flailing, trying to squeeze out of his firm strong grip. Suddenly, she stopped. Confused, John turned to face her._

_THWUMP._

_Pepper half-jumped in surprise as her fist left John's face. She had punched him. She had _punched_ him!_

"_AHH!" Pepper shrieked as she was thrown against the wall. Vision hazy, she tried to stand up, tried to get a grip on the wall._

_THWUMP. _

_Now she was half-blind, little white lights popping in front of her eyes. Seeing John in the corner of her eye raising his fist to strike again, she sprinted for the door. Racing towards her car with her key in her hand, only one thought was in her head:_

_Get to Tony's house._

* * *

Tears still stinging in her eyes, she backed into Tony's drive. She didn't really understand why she was here, of all places she could be, but she knew here was right. Letting herself in, she tip-toed into the mansion. Now she was here, her breathing was starting to calm down, get back to it's slow steady rhythm. Still, she didn't think she could face Tony yet – not when her eyes were still puffy and red.

Maybe she should just make some tea and go to her office to work. Work always clears her head. _Yeah, lets do that _she thought.

Walking to the kitchen, she heard a sound which made her stop dead. It was a woman's laugh. A high-pitched, flirty laugh. Tony had a guest round. Shoot. Well this is awkward. How was she going to get around this? Maybe she should just go back home. Wait, no, John was there! She couldn't go back, especially since she had come all this way. No, Pepper would work around it, just like she had done all those other times.

Turning back around, she headed towards Tony's mini kitchen in his workshop. Greeted by the smell of sweat and alcohol (how much does the man drink, seriously!), Pepper made her way towards the high-tech kettle that was on the side of the counter, perching precariously there. Honestly, you would have thought the man would care a bit more about the piece of tech, they were, in his eyes, his children after all.

Having made the tea, she silently walked back upstairs. The sound of laughter and talk were only slightly quieter in the huge hallway, and she could hear Tony's low voice. Damn that voice. Just once tiny little phrase from it and she would be doing a number of things with him. She wished that the girl with him was her, and she wished that it was to her that he was talking so sexily to. _No, Potts, what are you thinking! Stop it! _She angrily told herself, _He does think about you in that way, you know he never will! To him, your just his PA – that's all! Don't kid yourself! _

Sighing, she felt her eyes begin to droop. What time was it? 11:47pm. Why was she this tired! It was very unusual for her to be tired at a time like this. But she was. Yet, she couldn't just sleep over at Tony's house – especially since he had a guest round! Besides, it would be incredibly unprofessional if he was to find her, asleep in his house.

However, she found her feet dragging her upstairs, towards Tony's many bedrooms. Maybe she could just sleep here? Tony wouldn't find out, he's fall asleep probably drunk out of his mind as usual, and then when he woke up he would find Pepper at work as usual, nothing would be out of place. Yeah, that would work.

So now to the more pressing question – where to sleep? She knew Tony wouldn't bring his guest into his own bedroom, but Pepper couldn't go in there! That was his BEDROOM for Christ sake! What kind of PA sleeps in HER BOSSES BEDROOM?! Well, all of his other assistant's probably did. But she wasn't just another assistant, she told herself. She was Virginia Anne Potts, and she was not going to be found sleeping in his bedroom, like some random desperate girl craving attention.

Where to sleep then? This was now becoming a very annoying question. So heading into the third guest bedroom along the corridor, she went inside, before her head could tell her otherwise.

* * *

The time: 1am. And she _still _wasn't asleep! Why? She knew why. She knew perfectly well why she couldn't get to sleep. It was because she was longing for a certain tech geek's arms to be wrapped around her, lulling her gently into a peaceful sleep. But he wasn't here. And all alone in the guest bedroom, Pepper let the silent tears fall - it was useless to try and prevent them. Maybe she should go into Tony's room. At least then she could at least fall asleep surrounded by his smell. Oh God that sounded bad. But she so desperately wanted it.

And so, at 1 o'clock in the morning, Pepper Potts was to be found creeping along the corridor towards Tony Stark's bedroom.

* * *

Entering it, she immediately was taken back by the room. There was hardly room to walk! Discarded Burger King bags littered the floor, along with empty bottles of Lord-knows-what. Yet, she was oddly comforted by it. It was here in this room that she could tell Tony felt comfortable. Directing her gaze towards the gigantic bed, she saw something that made her heart swell with love for Tony Stark. For on his bedroom counter was a picture. It was a picture of the day they met – she was holding out the report with that maths mistake to him, and he was looking at her, confused yet slightly amused. She, naturally, was a deep shade of crimson. Underneath the picture, which was framed in a simple wood design, were the words:

_The Key To My Heart._

Heart fluttering, she sat down on the bed and picked up the picture. She didn't know how he had this moment pictured – probably JARVIS – or why he had it, but all she knew was that this picture made her realise what was always there, ever present in the back of her mind: She loved him. She loved him more than he could ever know.

Comforted and happy, she got off the bed, picked up his Black Sabbath t-shirt from the floor, took off all her clothes (except her underwear), pulled the t-shirt over her head and laid back down on his bed, finally feeling like she was capable of sleep.

Eventually, half an hour later, she drifted off to a peaceful sleep to the smell of Tony Stark, and staring at that beautiful picture that held so many memories.

* * *

**Whoo hoped you like it! Please leave me a review, I will be ****eternally grateful! :) ~PhoenixFeather0198**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello again! Thank you all so much for the reviews, I was literally jumping and squealing with delight when I saw! :'D I know I mentioned that I had already written this chapter, but after reading all your lovely reviews, I rewrote the whole thing haha!  
****Jen (Guest): Thank you for the review! I think John will come back in either chapter 3 or 4, so stay alert!  
QueenofIron: To be honest I'm not entirely sure when it's set, but I reckon just after Iron Man 1. Definitely not during/after IM2 though! Any thoughts let me know :)  
Ally Downey and LoveLovePepperony (nice name btw) : Here's Tony for ya ;)  
And so, without furthur ado, I present: The Key To My Heart, Chapter 2.**

* * *

Chapter 2

Tony Stark was tired. No, more than that. Tony Stark was absolutely shattered. That annoying woman had been at him for hours, and she just didn't seem to get his signals to leave him alone.  
So now, at quarter to 2 in the morning, instead of in bed – or at least, in his workshop – He was sitting wide awake on his sofa, in desperate need of coffee. And so he headed down towards his workshop, where his mini kitchen was located.

Upon arrival, he found a tea bag, spoon and a used kettle strewn across the worktop. What? Someone had been here, that much was obvious - even to him, in his sleep-deprived state. But who? Who on earth had been down here, of all places? The only two people who could have been in here were Rhodey and Pepper. But if it was Rhodey why would he chose to drink_ tea_? No, it couldn't possibly have been Rhodey.  
So that left Pepper. Miss Pepper Potts, his devoted PA. She was the only one who could have entered his workshop - especially at a time like this. But the question was: _was Pepper still here now?_

"Jarvis, is Pepper anywhere in the house?" He asked the AI, excitement and anticipation clearly present in his voice.

"It appears that Miss Potts is indeed in your house, sir. However, I would advise you not to go to her at this current moment in time"

"What? Why ever not?" Tony asked, both elated and confused.

"Because sir, she has only just been able to get to sleep, and trust me, from watching her upon entry into your house, I can tell she needs it."

Still feeling confused, Tony tried to get his head around this fascinating new piece of information. Why on earth would Pepper Potts be in his house, at almost 2 o'clock in the morning? It made no sense. "Jarvis, do you have any video footage of Pepper since her arrival today?"

"I do sir - shall I play it for you?"

"Please yeah" Tony replied. Now feeling wide awake, he sat himself down upon the floor, waiting for the holographic screen to present itself.

* * *

What he saw shocked him. It shocked him beyond belief. Pepper was _crying. Crying. _He had never seen her cry before. She was always so composed and cool, so much so that watching her tears run down her cheeks was surreal to him.

What he saw made him want to help. Made him want to reverse time and go up to her and offer words of comfort. He absolutely _hated _watching her cry. It made him feel his stomach churn unpleasantly. For he knew that this was just a video, and he could do nothing to change the past.

When he reached the part where she entered his room, his heart seemed to fail him. She might see the picture. Shoot. _Damn! She's seen the picture! Oh my god, how's she going to react?!_

But once again, he was shocked at what he saw. She picked up the picture, and upon reading the words I engraved upon the frame, a single tear rolled down her cheek. _That was unexpected_, he thought. _She hasn't thrown away the picture, or rolled her eyes, or anything. Huh. Why not? Does this mean…? No, it can't mean that. She doesn't even like you on a friendly scale. Or does she?_

The trademark smirk appeared on his face when Pepper took off her clothes. _Not bad, not bad at all_ Tony thought, grinning from ear to ear. _And I have to say, my t-shirt doesn't look half-bad on her! Maybe I should buy her her own one…_

Getting up, Tony stood, observing his workshop, a plan formulating inside his head. Although watching Pepper undress was certainly a lovely sight to watch, she had been crying nonetheless. And he hated to see her cry. So, he was going to find out why she had succumbed to the tears.

* * *

Ascending the stairs with all thoughts of tiredness forgotten, Tony's head was still buzzing. He knew she had a boyfriend (who Tony would quite like to 'accidently' replace with himself) called John (_see, even the name sounds evil_) and he knew that they had been dating for about 6 months. He also knew that Pepper didn't want to sleep with him – he found this out when he 'accidently' heard her talking to him on the phone – but that John kept on pestering her to change her mind. How he would ever get her to change his mind Tony would never know – he certainly couldn't, even if it wasn't to do with sleeping with him (although Tony had tried very hard).

It was with these thoughts that Tony reached his bedroom. And stopped dead. Suddenly the whole concept of what he was about to do came crashing down on him. He couldn't just go in there! Pepper would probably be asleep, or if she wasn't, she certainly wouldn't want to see _him_ of all people! He hadn't exactly always been there for her, Tony reflected sadly. But he had to go in. He couldn't just leave Pepper alone with only her tears for company, and she definitely needed comfort right now, there was no doubt about it. So, with all the strength in his heart, Tony pushed open the door.

* * *

Pepper was lying on his bed in the foetal position, her arms wrapped around her knees. Tony wondered how she ever fell asleep in such a position. Walking round the bed, he was able to see her face. Tear tracks were still evident on her face, but even so, Tony couldn't think of anything or anyone more beautiful.

Taking off his top and trousers, Tony lay down underneath the sheets. Again, he hesitated. Would Pepper push him away? But once again, he didn't back away. Shuffling over so that he was right next to her, with her back facing him, he carefully released her arms from around her knees. Nothing. Only the sound of her steady breathing. Good. Next, Tony put his muscular arm around her waist and slowly, oh so slowly, pulled her close to him, so that his nose was pressed into the back of her neck.

* * *

Pepper was awake. She had been ever since Tony had entered the room. But she didn't make a sound, curious as to what he was going to do. She let him guide her arms away from her knees, and she let him pull her close. It was all she could do to not utter a sigh of contentment. Tony was here. He was holding her close, so close she could feel his nose and gentle breathing tickling the back of her neck. The situation was absolutely perfect.

But then _he_ came. His face came swimming into her dreams, his fists came into contact with her face, she was thrown to the ground, being kicked and hit-  
Then Tony came. And at once Pepper felt safe again. But then he too was kicking her, shouting at her, and his arm, his strong muscular arm wrapped around her throat, and all Pepper could see was bright lights popping, she was dying, she was going to die-

"TONY!" Pepper awoke with a start. Sweat was pouring over her face, tears too were threatening to appear. Confused, Pepper sat up. But this only meant the return of the bright lights popping in her eyes.

"Shhhh, Pepper it's ok, I'm here, you'll be alright, don't worry"

She knew that voice. That was the voice which she dreamed about each night, wishing that it's owner was with her. Tony. But he had just tried to strangle her! Why was he comforting her? And why was Tony here, in her bed? Then everything came flooding back. She wasn't in her bed at all, she was in Tony's bed. And if she turned around, would she see…

"Hey Pep."

Tony. He was here. He had found her. Oh God!

"Tony I'm sorry, I shouldn't be here! I'll go now I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, this is so unprofessional" She was rambling now. Meeting his chocolate brown eyes, she was surprised to see that he didn't look annoyed at her in the slightest. His face was an image of pure worry and concern, and when he spoke, his voice was gentle and soothing.

"Don't apologise! I understand completely. Ok? Now, let's see what we can do" Reaching out his hand out to touch her face, Tony was shocked when Pepper slapped his hand away.

"Don't you dare touch me."

"Pepper, listen it's alright, I know that you're probably still really upset, but please-" But he was interrupted again by Pepper's hand slapping him across his face.

"Don't you dare tell me how I feel! YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW I FEEL JOHN! OK?! SO JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Hang on, this was Tony that she was saying this too. Not John. Tony…Tony! She had just slapped him across the face thinking that he was John! "Oh my gosh Tony!"

"It's alright, don't worry"

"No, you don't understand, I thought you were John, that's why I slapped you, oh my gosh I'm so sor-" But she stopped. For Tony had reached out his arms, wrapped them around her, and was giving her the biggest and most loving hug she had ever had in her life.

She let the tears fall. It was pointless to try and prevent them. "Tony, oh Tony, I'm so sorry" She said the words over and over again, as if they were the only words she knew. And he would reply each time without words. He would rub her back, tracing small circles, each one creating a little flutter in Pepper's body. She embraced him back, his shoulder now soaked with her tears, but he did not seem to care. Finally, he pulled back, looking her in the eyes. Brown against blue. Chocolate against sapphire.

They stayed like that for a long time. They both seemed content to just look into each others eyes, silently communicating.

Eventually, Tony spoke. "Do you want to talk?"

"I don't know. Just… Just let me think for a while"

"Alright, tell me when you want to talk. I won't leave your side Pepper."

Why was it so hard to tell him? Because he would reject her? Because he wouldn't believe her, think she was being a over-dramatic? Of course he wouldn't, Pepper knew that. So why was she so reluctant to talk?

Because she was scared. Scared of the truth. She feared that if she told Tony, it would all become real once again, she would finally feel the impact of what happened. If she didn't talk to Tony, however, how could he understand and help? For she knew that's what he wanted. So, looking at him in the eyes once more, she opened her mouth to speak.

* * *

**Sorry I left you on a cliffhanger! Of course you all know what Pepper's going to explain to Tony, but how will he react...? Please leave me a review! Hopefully I will be able to update this before the end of the week :) ~PhoenixFeather0198**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/n: Hello again! Thank you everyone for the reviews and reads - guess what? OVER A THOUSAND VIEWS! OH MY GOSH THANK YOU EVERYONE! You have no idea how happy it makes me :D So anyway, I know I said I would reintroduce John in this chapter, but it's looking like it's going to be in one of the next chapters sorry! Please let me know what you think, criticism appreciated too, but please don't murder me! Hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

"Well, it all started tonight. You know John?" Pepper asked hesitantly, obviously scared and worried about how to approach this.

Trying to make his voice not reflect his insides (which felt as if they wanted to get John and rip him from limb to limb) Tony replied "Yeah, what about him?"

"We were in my apartment, watching a movie. It seemed as if all was fine. And then… and then-" Pepper's voice broke, tears started to leak out of her eyes. Taking her into his arms, Tony held her close, silently willing her to stop crying. Eventually, Pepper started to pull away again. Looking into his eyes, she continued, "And then he asked me if I was willing to, you know, sleep with him."

Tony froze. He knew, or at least could very accurately predict, what was going to happen now.

"He hurt you didn't he?" His voice was soft, dangerously soft.

"What? No, no he didn't hurt me or anything he-"

"Pepper." Tony said, his voice still soft. He wasn't angry at Pepper, he was just simply frustrated that she was lying to him. For she _must _know that he knew.

"Tony." She replied, looking straight into his eyes.

It was in those beautiful blue eyes where Tony finally gained the truth. He saw, or rather interpreted, what had happened. He could tell that she had been hurt. He couldn't tell exactly _what _had actually happened, but he could interpret enough to get the general idea.

"He tried to force you into sleeping with him didn't he?"

No answer.

"Pepper, please, I need you to answer me. Please. I'm trying to understand, and if I can't understand, I can't help you. I so desperately want to help you. Please Pepper."

She really wanted to tell him. _Really _wanted to tell him. But there was still some part of her, some _tiny _part, which was still loyal to John, which still didn't want to hurt him. But the larger part of her, the part which was in this room looking straight at the genius-billionaire-philanthropist in front of her, wanted to just forget John, to push him away, and to give her self entirely (well, not entirely) to her gorgeous boss.

And so, with a weary heart, she finally admitted it. "Yes, he hurt me."

Pain. That was the only emotion that Tony seemed to be capable of at that moment in time. Pain and hurt. They were very surreal emotions for him, as even though he had felt pain, this was different somehow. It felt like the equivalent of watching JARVIS die on him (not that he would have _ever _let that happen of course). Tony realised with another jolt of his heart, that it wasn't pain he was feeling, it was love. Unforgettable, uncontrollable _love_. It was sweeping over him, pulling him under it's tidal wave of power. And he wasn't going to stop it.

With a new resolve in his heart, Tony knew exactly what to do. His mind was so clear he was unsure of how it felt to be confused.

"Pep?"

"Mmm hmm?" She was lying on her side, with her head resting in his lap. She would deny it tomorrow, they both knew she would, but right now it felt so _right_ that neither of them had really thought about what she was doing.

"I just want you to know, you can always trust me"

"Tony, where are you going with this?"

"Nothing, I just wanted you to know, that's all"

"Alright. Just so you know, I already trust you more than you possible could imagine"

There. She had said it. Pepper wasn't sure if it was the tiredness in her body that made her say it, or if it was her ever-stronger desire to tell Tony _exactly _how she's been feeling. To open up completely to him, let him know every tiny little detail of what's been going on recently in her life.

"Pep? You ok there?"

Gosh she had completely zoned out there!

"Yes yes fine, sorry, I just zoned out on you!"

"Blimey, am I that dull?" Tony said with a small smile. Pepper simply rolled her eyes as a result.

After a few more minutes of silence, Pepper said, "Tony, do you think you could help me?"

"Yes of course! I'll do anything Pep" It was heart-breaking to hear that. She could hear his genuine desire and love in his voice when he said it.

"Do you think you could help me clean myself up?"

"_Well…_"

"Tony. Not like that you idiot."

"Alright, alright, but just so you know, if you ever need _cleaning up_, I'm always here" He finished with a smirk.

"Shut up and fetch me the First Aid kit."

"Yes ma'am" Tony replied with another smirk.

* * *

"Alright, come here so I can get a good look at you" He was holding the First Aid kit in one of his hands, and was beckoning her with the other.

"Ok I'm coming." When she reached him, Pepper said, "Tony, I really appreciate this"

"Any time" He replied softly, with a small smile on his face. "So where are these injuries then?"

Great. This was going to be awkward. For her injuries were mainly all along her arms, but there was one, and unfortunately it was the worst one, that was on the inside of her leg. Quite high up her leg in fact.

"They're mainly on my arms" Well, what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

Reaching out with his hands, Tony guided her onto the bed so she was sitting down at the edge. Then, holding out her arms, Pepper waited for him to begin.

It was quite a sharp pain which she received every time Tony began on another cut or bruise. He would put some ointment ("_The best in the world_" apparently) onto the injury, which made Pepper hiss in pain. He would always stop at this point to ask if she was ok. She always replied that she was, not wanting to appear as if she couldn't handle a little sting.

It was remarkable really, how such strong and worn out hands could touch her skin so gently and carefully. They felt wonderful on her skin. They would skilfully dab around the injury so to not hurt her more than necessary, and yet have just enough force behind them to actually make some progress on cleaning her up.

Pepper's eyes were soon beginning to drift closed. His touch was so soothing that it was a miracle that she hadn't fallen completely asleep yet. She wondered how she could ever have been reluctant to let him touch her, as now, it felt like bliss.

Suddenly, they flew open. "TONY! WHAT are you doing!" He had touched her leg. In the area with the injury.

"Pep you're bleeding!" His eyes were silently pleading with her to let him continue. But this was different. He couldn't just _touch her leg_ without asking her! Hang on… she was bleeding?

"What?"

"Look Pepper, your leg is bleeding" And sure enough, it was. You could see the blood on her leg (_damn_, why was she only wearing a stupid _t-shirt_ of all things!) – and it looked pretty bad. She hadn't really noticed it before now – probably because it hadn't been bleeding then – but now she supposed something would have to be done. But what? Tony couldn't touch her leg, he just _couldn't_, but Pepper was too tired to do it herself! So what to do?

Once again, Pepper acted before her head could tell her otherwise.

"Alright, you can help me to clean it up. But if you even _THINK_ about moving your hands elsewhere you will wish you were _DEAD_ Anthony Edward Stark."

* * *

Damn he loved it when she spoke to him like that. Sighing, he nodded to her.

"I wouldn't dare to Pepper" He replied with a smirk which earned him a prod in the stomach. "Alright, alright, I promise you I won't calm down!"

"You better not."

Smirking to himself (and managing to quickly cover it up), he started to think about how this was to be done. Of course he knew what he actually had to do, but the real question was: _How _to do it? He couldn't just ask Pepper if she could please open her legs because he needed to see the injury better, could he? All he would gain from that would be a slap and an angry Ms Potts. And heaven forbid an angry Ms Potts. _That_ was something he was definitely keen to avoid.

"Ok Pepper, I need you to..er… let me see your injury a bit more. Do you think you could do that?" He hesitantly asked. A nod in response. _Wow, that was unexpected_ he thought.

_Ok Stark, _calm down_. You are _not _trying to get her into bed here. Ha, how ironic _he thought. Slowly, as if his life depended on it (_actually, it probably does_), he moved his gaze from her face to her leg. _This was going to be a long night._

* * *

**Ta da! Hope you liked it! Please leave me a review, I'll write quicker the more I have :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/n: Once again thank you everyone for all the reviews! I assure you all that John will definitely be in the next chapter, and you get a preview of what will happen in this chapter. Sorry that this chapter is shorter than usual, but hopefully the next few will be longer! Fantasia-49, don't worry, he most certainly will make John pay. Alex (guest): Here's a little bit of the suit for you, there'll be more in the next chapter. Enjoy :)**

* * *

Chapter 4

They were both asleep, cuddled up next to each other, Tony's arm wrapped protectively around her waist. They had fallen asleep like that, Pepper all cleaned up and feeling safe, Tony still feeling angry beyond belief at John, but happy that Pepper was lying next to him snoring lightly.

She wasn't awake, but he had been for about 10 minutes. He had been lying there silently arguing with himself. _To see John, or to stay here with Pepper? _Naturally he wanted to go and give John a very large piece of his mind, but he was scared that Pepper would go nuts if she found out and wouldn't speak to him again. That was something Tony was certainly keen to avoid if he could help it. Yet he couldn't just stay here, content as he was, knowing that John was still out there ready to hurt Pepper even more.

Rolling over in the bed, Tony reached for the pad of sticky-notes that were on his bedroom counter.

_Pepper, _he began to write, _please stay in bed. I'm fine. I'm just downstairs making you breakfast – are pancakes ok? If you're suspicious, just ask JARVIS, he'll tell you were I am. I will see you very soon, and I hope you are getting better. Tony :) x_

Feeling increasingly guilty with every word he wrote, Tony stuck the note to the door and went downstairs to his workshop. "You there J?"

"Here as always, sir."

"Awesome. Now, when Pepper wakes up-"

"Ah yes I saw that, congratulations sir."

"Huh?" Tony was confused. Congratulations?

"Yes, congratulations. You have finally bedded Ms Pepper Potts – was she drunk?"

"_Absolutely_ _hilarious_ JARVIS. My sides are splitting from laughter. You know exactly what happened." Tony replied, although he had to admit, he was smirking ever so slightly. Good old JARVIS.

"There's nothing like starting the morning with a good joke, sir"

"Agreed. Now listen, when Pepper wakes up, she'll probably – _hopefully, he added silently_ – ask where I am. I need you to tell her that I am downstairs, but to stay in bed, and to please see the note on the door."

"Sir, I strongly advise agai-

"Just do it JARVIS. And get the suit ready."

"As you wish, sir"

* * *

He always found the suit relaxing. Why he did he would never know, but you had to admit, there was something relaxing at flying through the air, watching the world go by.

"Sir your arrival time is 3 minutes"

Good. 3 minutes until he would make John pay. Both fury and adrenaline were pumping through his veins at the moment. Just before he had left the bedroom he had looked once more at Pepper's injuries, and once again had felt the urge to throw up. Reckless with them he may be, but Tony Stark would never, _ever_, hurt a woman. To him it was a sin, a crime worthy of a lifetime in jail. Some would say that a lifetime was too much, but Tony was adamant. Seeing Pepper's arms covered in angry purple bruises and scrapes in the morning was the thing which had spiked his anger once again.

"Sir?" Bringing him out of his train of thoughts, Tony replied,

"Yes?"

"You are now on your required street. The house you are looking for his number 13. Also, just to let you know, Ms Potts has now awoken."

* * *

Sighing happily, Pepper opened her eyes. Her sleep had been the best she had had in along time. Dreams full of Tony and their future, she had not had a single bad thought to interrupt her dreams. Expecting to find Tony, she rolled over. He was not there. _So I was just another desperate woman to him. _Forcing herself not to cry, she looked around the room. When her eyes came to rest upon the door, she reached up to take the note.

Reading it, she smiled. _Trust Tony to not wait until I was up. Actually, if he did, breakfast wouldn't have been ready until about midday!_ "JARVIS, can you give me any video of Tony at the moment?"

"I'm afraid I can't Ms Potts – he has told me that it must be a complete surprise, and so therefore you are not allowed to see him, even on video" Fair enough, she supposed. _I might as well attempt to go back to sleep, it'll probably be another 2 hours or so before breakfast is ready. _And so, rolling back over she was facing the picture, she closed her eyes again, the only thought in her head being: _He is the key to my heart as well_.

* * *

**A/n: Thank you once again for reading! Any requests or ideas for the story, please leave me a review or PM me! If not, leave me a review anyway! You know you want to ;)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/n: I'm the most proud of this chapter, I have been perfecting it beyond perfection - so if there are any mistakes, I apologise! Now, finally, John is in this chapter! Yay! Or nay, take your pick. Thank you to Joselyn, who provided me the inspiration for this chapter - woo you're awesome xD Also I realise that I haven't actually put a disclaimer on this story, so for all you know I may be Robert Downey Jr. Unfortunately, I am not, nor do I know him (outside Tumblr), so I DISCLAIM! All of this belongs to MARVEL etc, I am simply playing with their toys. Enjoy the chapter, let me know what you think :) Please note that there is occasional swearing in this chapter.**

* * *

Barging through the front door, Tony could feel his heart pounding loud and clear through the suit. _Boy was he going to make John pay_. Creeping through the house, Tony's head was full of thoughts. _Should I blast him senseless? Or should I just bring him back home so Pep and I can deal with him together? Wait, where even is the guy anyway? _For every room which he entered, there wasn't a trace of John.

"JARVIS, is John here?"

"It appears not sir. Shall I find him for you?"

"Please" John was not here. So where was he? Maybe he was just out in town - so should Tony just wait here then?

"Sir, it seems that he is fast approaching your Malibu house. In fact he will reach it in about 1 minute."

_SHIT. "PEPPER!"_

Taking off faster than he had ever done in his entire life, Tony rocketed up into the sky. John was going to see Pepper! He must have realised where she went after she left! He's going to hurt her again! _SHIT!_

* * *

He could just make out her frame in one of the upper windows. _Stupid bitch, _John thought to himself, _How _dare _she leave him to visit her boss! Well, I'll show her just how wrong an idea that was. _Pulling up onto the drive, he got out of his car and walked to the door, adrenaline pulsating through his body, consuming him, motivating him, pushing him onwards.

* * *

She was still in the bedroom. Having decided to freshen up before breakfast, she had taken a shower, and was now sitting down on the bed, feeling very calm and happy. It had been a while, she mused, since she had felt this safe before. Recently, her life had just been a never-ending flow of mistakes and misjudgments - right up until last night, when she had felt Tony's strong arms around her, soothing her and comforting her.

STOMP, STOMP, STOMP. Blimey Tony had heavy feet. He wasn't usually this loud coming up the stairs, especially this early in the morning. How odd. She suddenly felt a sense of unease creeping up her sides. Standing up, she walked to the bedroom door. Tony had told her not to go out, but if he was making this much noise…

BANG. The door blasted open. It was John. Oh God! What was he doing here? "John?" Her voice came calmer than she had expected.

"Hello, Ginny. Didn't expect me did you?" He had been drinking. She could smell the alcohol on his breath.

"What are you doing here?"

"What am _I _doing here? What the _hell _are _you _doing here! Came running to your pathetic little boss did you? Wanted a bit of comfort did you?"

"He is _NOT PATHETIC_!" Her last words came as a shout. _Uh-oh_. Bad move. John took a step closer.

"Standing up for him now are we? Well then Ginny, were is he now, eh? I'll tell you where. Nowhere. It's only you and me, _Pepper." _His last words came as a snarl. Pepper knew that him calling her Pepper was meant as an insult (everyone knew only Tony called her that), but Pepper found it oddly calming. It gave her a kind of confidence.

Confidence was definitely needed for what happened next. Grabbing her by the collar of her dressing-gown, John dragged her down onto the bed. Pepper kicked and thrashed with all her might, for she knew exactly what was going to happen next. Pining her arms above her head with one hand, John slowly reached down to tug at the knot tying her gown around her waist.

"No, no! John please! Get off me! HELP!"

"I've already told you, _dear_, there's nobody here to save you now. It's only you and me. Only you and me."

Her gown had slipped. Wrenching her out of it, John stripped down to his boxers, still forcing her hands to stay above her head, useless. Her hands were beginning to ache. John's grip was vice-like, too painful for her. She began to shake uncontrollably as his hands traced down her back, too easily unclasping the hook of her bra.

"Tony, please, help me!" Pepper sobbed, her shakes becoming violent as John forced his mouth upon hers. The moment was so close, she knew it, it was so close, then it would all be over she told herself, it would all be over…

"ARGHHH!" John shrieked as he was blown backwards, knocked flat into the opposite wall. Turning around desperately, whilst covering her body with her now free arms, Pepper completely lost it. There was Tony, dressed head to toe in his Iron Man suit, his hand still raised where he had fired at John.

"Tony! Oh my GOD TONY!" Tears were pouring down her face, she was crying more than she had ever cried in her whole life. "WHERE WERE YOU, YOU IDIOT!"

"I went to John's house, and then JARVIS told me where he was, and I flew immediately here. What happened?"

"He…he… oh my god TONY!" She was seriously stressed, Tony could tell. Not that he registered it. He didn't even think about what state of dress she was in (well, of course he noticed, but not in his playboy way). The only thing that was on his mind was _that BASTARD. _

But now was not the time to kill John. That would come later, he thought grimly. Now, he had to calm down Pepper. Picking up her fallen dressing-gown (and feeling incredibly sick doing so), he reached to out to put it around her severely battered body. _Oh God, what did he do to her?_

WHAM. "What the?!" Looking around, dazed and confused, Tony found the source of the commotion. John, unnoticed by both of them it seemed, he had stood up and launched himself at Pepper, banging her up against the wall. "HEY! Get off her!" Tony shouted, launching too himself at John. His hands closed around his neck, he couldn't even see Pepper, she was somewhere beneath the mass that was John's body. Dragging John upwards by the throat, he threw him across the room.

* * *

Pepper ran. She ran for her life. Terror was flooding her body, spreading through every fibre of her being. Sprinting down the steps, she didn't even stop when she stumbled at the bottom. She just got straight back up again and continued to run towards the workshop. There, at least, she was certainly protected from John. But not from Tony. And she was unsure how she felt about him currently. All her fear, although seemingly temporary at bay when he first arrived, had come back tenfold when he blasted John in the chest. She had never actually witnessed first hand what Tony was like when he was in the suit – or at least, she had never seen him attack someone in the suit, she had only watched him fly in the sky, preparing for attack. And it absolutely terrified her. It was as if he was a completely different person. That cold hard man who had blasted John across the room was not the Tony Stark she knew. The Tony Stark she knew would never have practically fired John's head off. Sure, he would have severely injured him no doubt, but have caused a near-death injury?

Scared and frightened, Pepper collapsed onto the sofa. "Hey Dummy. You have no idea how easy your life is mate." Talking to the robot seemed to be helping her calm down a little bit. It cleared her head a little to let it all out. "Are you ever scared by Tony, Dummy? I am. Upstairs just now he was absolutely terrifying. It was like somebody was in that suit, instead of Tony, and was doing all those things." The robot had fetched a blanket for her. "Thanks Dummy. I mean, did you see what John did! He was going to force me into sex Dummy! I know! Time and time again I had told him that I wasn't ready, but now I know he was only interested in me for sex. I should have known. Typical boys."

Lying down, being only slightly less confused, she now faced the toughest question of her career yet. Who, really, was Tony Stark?

* * *

**Can we make it to 50 reviews? Let me know what you think, I promise to have the next chapter up in a few days :)**


	6. Chapter 6A

**A/n: Oh my gosh sorry for the wait! This is the longest it has taken me to every update this story, sorry! I just had too many ideas and didn't know which to act upon - it's been hectic! Now, please note that THIS CHAPTER COMES IN TWO PARTS. The first part is this part here, and the second part is a description of what actually happened between Tony and John after Pepper ran. If you don't particularly care what happened between them (as in details) and just want the basics, then there is a mini explanation in this chapter for you. **

**I didn't get as many reviews as expected for the last chapter, however I hoped you all enjoyed it. Please let me know what you think about this chapter, it really means a lot to me to know what you guys think - that way, I can shape my writing more in line with the reviews than just wildly going off on my own.**

**And so, I present to you, The Key To My Heart: Chapter 6.**

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Chapter 6

_'Lying down, being only slightly less confused, she now faced the toughest question of her career yet. Who, really, was Tony Stark?'_

That question had been haunting her for days now. Every time she saw him her mind would instinctively jump back to that question. She reckons that Tony knows – or at least, suspects something – because every time he sees her he gives her a questioning look that makes Pepper feel a little uneasy inside. She knew she should trust Tony, but after he had practically blasted John to smithereens, she wasn't as sure as before.

She also wasn't sure about what happened to them both after she had ran. The only thing she knew was that Tony had taken off with John grabbed in his arms about 20 minutes after she had retreated to the workshop. Then, when JARVIS told her "Ms Potts, Mr Stark is just about to land." she had quietly wrapped up the blanket around her, patted Dummy as a Thank You gesture, and walked silently up the stairs, into one of Tony's bedrooms furthest away from the workshop. She didn't want to know where they had gone or what happened to them both, she just wanted to know if either of them regretted what they had done. She also wanted to know what she was feeling right now. Because she didn't have a _clue_.

On the one hand, she was incredibly grateful for what Tony had done for her, and her heart was constantly ever-expanding with love for the man. She also felt nothing for John except for hatred and disgust at what he had done.

But on the other hand, she was still frightened beyond belief at what Tony did. She still couldn't get her head around what Tony did. Every night the image of John, being blasted across the room in a flash of fire, raced into her mind, determinedly preventing her from sleep.

It was with these thoughts that she lay, once again, in Tony's spare bedroom, silently battling with herself, when all of a sudden she felt a hand upon her shoulder. She froze. Then her eyes flew open, and what she saw was certainly not what she was expecting. There, kneeling in front of her was Tony, a small smile playing about his lips, his eyes dancing with emotion.

"Tony?"

"We need to talk." It had come out harder than he had meant it to. He could see the brief shock flit through Pepper's eyes, next to be replaced with determination.

"About what Tony? Everything is fine now, your safe, John's-"

"You know that's not what I mean."

"I don't have a clue what you mean Stark." Now her voice was cold and hard, rival to his earlier tone.

"Listen, please don't be annoyed with me, I just came to ask if you were ok"

Stunned, Pepper couldn't find any words to say. "What do you mean?"

"I mean exactly what I said Pep, I just came here to check if you were alright"

"Of course I'm fine don't-"

"I care about you Pep. I don't want to see you go through that again."

Pepper opened her mouth to speak. Then, realising she had nothing to say, she closed it. Instead of words, she let her actions speak for her. Sitting up in bed, she held onto Tony's hands and pulled him up to gently lead him onto the bed, where they both sat, gazing into one another's eyes. Slowly, Pepper reached out and wrapped her arms around him, holding him in a cautious embrace.

They stayed like that for some while, silently whispering prayers of hope and love to the heavens, holding onto each other for dear life, afraid to let go; as if if they let go, one of them would disappear. Then, almost comically in sync with each other, they lay down upon the bed, Tony with his arms around Pepper, Pepper leaning into him, trying to press every inch of her body into him.

Finally, the silence was broken. "We do actually need to talk you know" Pepper smiled. Trust Tony to ruin the moment.

"Do we _have _to? I don't think it's _really _necessary is it?" Unusually it was her who was being the childish one now.

"Yes Pepper, we have to and you know it's necessary, I'm sorry"

"Fine." And with that she curdled up into a ball, hugging her knees. Tony smirked. He liked this side of Pepper, the side that freely put her wants and ideas forwards for a change, instead of always listening to his.

"Pepper listen to me. The last couple of days, you…haven't exactly been yourself"

This was surprising to Pepper. She hadn't been deliberately avoiding him. "Why?"

"Well I don't know! But every time you look at me, or come within a 100 yard radius of me, you grow quiet and don't speak, or sometimes you just leave the room entirely! What's going on Pep?" She sighed. It was going to be hard telling him. Especially as she wasn't entirely sure what was going on in the first place.

"First of all, I want to know _exactly _what you did to John."

"What? Aw come on Pep, I took care of things, do you _really need _to-"

"Anthony Stark."

"Well, we flew – _fine, _I dragged him (correcting himself at the look upon Pepper's face) – back to your apartment, and we, er, kinda got into a little fight."

"A _little_ fight?"

"Alright, alright, quite a big one"

"And how badly did you hurt him?"

"I might have given him a couple of cuts and a black eye – I threw in a couple of good punches you know – and I _might_ have broke his leg, but really Pep, nothing major, he had it coming to him… hey, why are you looking at me like that?" For Pepper had rolled eyes and was softly stroking his cheek.

"Thank you Tony."

And in that instant Tony knew it was going to be ok. He realised that all Pepper had wanted was the truth of what had happened, the truth of what John and him had done that night. He realised that Pepper hadn't been meeting his eyes because she was scared of what she would find there, scared that she would still see a shadow of the Tony that was alive during that fight.

"Your welcome Pepper, any time" He smiled. Everything that had been pressing down upon him seemed to lift, and he felt so much lighter, so much freer.

* * *

They settled back down again on the bed. Everything was back to normal again.

"So Pep…"

"Yes?"

"I notice you're wearing my pyjamas"

"Congratulations."

"No that's not my point"

"I never could have guessed. Go on, tell me genius, what was your point?"

"Do you think I'm a genius?!" Tony had bolted upright, like a puppy hearing the sound of it's mother approaching, a grin wide on his face.

"Well I suppose I can't deny it"

"I'll take that as a yes then. So…. does my cleverness impress you? Do you think it's sexy? Am _I _sexy?"

"Hmm… well you're _alright _I suppose, but to be honest I'd say you're about average" Slumping back against the bed, Tony's grin had gone. Now he was pouting like a small child. Pepper loved him when he did that. Grinning, she reached up and placed a small kiss upon his cheek. "I'm joking of course, you're lovely Tony"

"Yeah, but lovely's not the same as sexy, is it?"

"Just accept the compliment Stark."

"Ohh being feisty are we Potts? I like it – _very _sexy"

"Thanks, I just wish I could return the favour" She said, winking at him

"Do you know how much I like it when you wink?"

"I do now"

"Excellent. Do you know another thing that I like Pep?"

"No, and I don't want to know. Go to bed Tony."

"Aw but I don't want to go to bed"

"Come on. Bed. NOW."

"Well would you look at this," Tony said, looking around the room as if gazing at an invisible crowd, "Ms Pepper Potts is asking me to bed. I never would have thought I'd see the day when-"

"Tony. Be quiet, lie down, and go to sleep."

"Fine."

* * *

An hour later, when Pepper was fast asleep, Tony pressed a feather-light kiss to her forehead and whispered, "Night Pep. I love you". And with that he too fell back into a black nothingness.

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**A/n: Hoped you liked it, please let me know what your thoughts are!** **Thanks :)**


	7. Chapter 6B

**A/n: XD WOO TWO UPDATES IN TWO DAYS! XD Just as a reminder, this isn't technically an advancement in the story, this chapter is what happened between Tony and John after Pepper ran. **

**GaspILostATooth1: Thank you so much for the review, and yes there will be more! Roughly 10-ish chapters, but I have no idea haha! **

**Jasmin Kenobi: Here's Tony kicking John's ass for ya ;)**

**Hopefully Chapter 7 will be up soon, but in the meantime, here's The Key To My Heart: Chapter 6b :)**

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Chapter 6B

_'"HEY! Get off her!" Tony shouted, launching too himself at John. His hands closed around his neck, he couldn't even see Pepper, she was somewhere beneath the mass that was John's body. Dragging John upwards by the throat, he threw him across the room.'_

Fury and anger were pulsating through his veins. How DARE he think he could harm Pepper – especially in HIS house! Seeing that John was slowly coming back around, Tony raised his hand to strike again. But then he changed his mind. He didn't want to disturb Pepper any more than already, so instead, Tony walked across the room, grabbed John roughly around the collar and took off into the late morning sun.

He was much stronger than Tony had anticipated. Not that it really mattered of course, in the suit Tony could barely feel John's twists and squirms against him. He plunged onwards through the sky, only stopping when he reached the beginning of Pepper's road. A horrible sense of déjà vu came over him. The last time he was here it had been to find John in the first place, and now he was here, he felt once again that feeling of anger and sickness bubble and boil in his stomach. No, he mustn't let that stop him now. He must focus on the task in hand at the moment. Turning his head to face Number 13, he plummeted down towards the house.

Once inside, he took a moment to look around. On the coffee table lay a DVD which they must have watched together. The TV was still on, and it was clear to Tony that nobody had been inside for days.

WHAM.

A sideways punch from John to the head. No, he must sort out the house first, then he would deal with John. With a audible whoosh, his iron-clad fist swung down into John's face. Crying out with pain, John stumbled onto the floor, unconscious.

"You there JARVIS?"

"I am indeed sir"

"Could you take the suit off me?" He had made the decision as he was flying. He would fight John in his bare skin, with no extra protection from the suit. It would be man versus man. Bare fist against bare fist.

Out of the suit, he reached for the TV remote. Holding it, he switched the TV off and placed it back down on the small table. Next he walked over to the small kitchen where the phone was located.

"Hello this is the Malibu Police Station, how can I help you?"

"Hi is this Andrew?"

"Yes it is sir, may I ask how you know this?"

"Andrew this is Tony Stark on the phone"

"Ahh yes now I recognise your voice! Sorry for not knowing Mr Stark."

"Don't worry ."

"How may I help you?"

"I'd like to report a crime. My PA has been almost raped."

"By whom?"

"Her boyfriend." Tony paused to calm himself down. That word and it's association just made him even angrier at John.

"Who is called?"

"John. I don't know his surname, sorry"

And on it went. Tony slowly providing his testimony, Andrew listening and asking occasional questions, and John still lying on the floor unconscious.

"Thank you very much Mr Stark. We will be at your location in 15 minutes. Keep him there."

"Of course. And Andrew?"

"Yes sir?"

"Please don't mention this to the press or anything – I would hate for them to find out"

"Naturally sir. Don't worry. It is safe with us"

* * *

15 minutes. 15 minutes to teach John just how much pain he had caused Tony. Filling up a jug with ice-cold water, Tony walked over to John and poured it all over his face.

"ARGH!" John woke up with a start. Satisfied, Tony placed the jug back on the kitchen counter and dragged John up by his collar. Still holding onto it, he growled

"You have no idea just how wrong that decision of yours to mess with Pepper was"

In a response John just smirked "Oh really? Now what? The great pathetic playboy Tony Stark is coming to defend her? You don't care about her at all, you just want to get into bed with her" Tony couldn't stand it any longer. He hated the way everybody still assumed they knew him, assumed he was still the same man before Afghanistan. But they were wrong. He had changed, changed for the better, and he was not taking it any more. With adrenaline pulsing through his veins, he swung a fist at John, who quickly retaliated with a punch of his own. The fight was on.

They were both screaming insults and accusations at each other, each one met with a punch or a kick from one of the men. Both were as angry as each other, John outraged that Tony had the 'nerve' to come here and beat him up when all he wanted to do was sleep with the woman, Tony infuriated that John believed this of him, enraged that he didn't think that Tony actually cared at all. Tony was sporting a nasty cut along his cheek and a bruise to the ribs, but John was much worse. It turned out that Happy's boxing lessons had done him some good. John was covered in cuts and bruises, his left eye was blackened, and his nose was pouring blood.

CRACK.

Falling to the floor, John felt his leg break. With only one good leg, he resolved to floor fighting. Lunging himself at Tony, he grabbed Tony and pulling him down onto the floor. Rolling on top of him, he punched and injured every inch of Tony that he could reach.

BAM.

The front door burst open, revealing the police, with mouths agape, staring at the sight in front of their eyes. Blood was everywhere, on the walls and on the floor, and John was lying on top of Tony with his fist still raised. At once, both men seemed to be thinking the same thing. The position that they were in didn't exactly put John in the best light. From the police's view, it looked as if John was viciously attacking Tony, and Tony was self-defending himself. Lowering his fist, John rolled off Tony. Meeting him in the eyes, a police officer said "I think you need to come with me. You too Mr Stark."

* * *

They had both given their version of events to the officer. Now they were sitting, backs facing away from each other, in a cell, waiting for further instructions. Voices could be heard from the room across the hall. Unfortunately, it's door was shut.

Suddenly, it flew open. Jumping up, Tony ran to the front of his cell to get a better look. Then, seeing who it was, he hung his head, embarrassed beyond belief.

"Alright mate, what did you do this time?" Standing in front of him was Rhodey, sporting a _very_ wide grin on his face. Tony sighed. _Here comes the teasing_.

"Nothing! As you jolly well should know"

"Well all I was told is that you were quite a naughty little boy and had to be locked away" Rhodey's grin was as wide as the ocean now. It was very rare that he got to tease Tony – usually Pepper took all the good opportunities – so he was never letting go of this situation now.

"Ha ha, very funny. Please can I come out now?"

"Not until you apologise to me first."

"Yeah, and me!" John had stood up and was also gazing at Tony.

"NO!" Tony shouted back at him, and threw in a quick punch in his general direction. It hit him in the cheek and John stumbled backwards. "I hate you. I hate what you did to Pepper."

Rhodey had never seen Tony become so attached to someone in this way before. The only time he had seen Tony this angry was when his parents died. Then, he drank himself silly and passed out onto Rhodey's lap – but not before telling him that it was his fault, and that he hated him. Of course Tony had apologised the next day, and swore that he didn't hate him, but Rhodey would never forget the look that was blazing in his eyes.

"You really care about her, don't you?" His voice was quiet, and he was looking straight into Tony's eyes. In response Tony nodded glumly. "Alright, I'll stop teasing. Would you like to come home with me?" Although Rhodey felt like he was talking to a small child, it seemed to be working. Tony didn't seem to have a clue what was going on. "Tony – Tony, you there mate? – now listen. I have paid the bail, so your free. I'll go and get the officer now and you can go. Ok?" Again, Tony just nodded. Rhodey was starting to feel a little scared for his friend. He had never seen him so emotional over a girl before, especially not Pepper.

Tony felt, rather than saw, the door opening and Rhodey leading him to the car. He didn't know what to think or what to do. He was still in a state of shock at what had just happened in the space of an hour or so.

Finally they arrived at Tony's house. "We're home Tony. Do you want me to see you inside?" Rhodey's voice seemed to break through an invisible barrier that had been surrounding them. Suddenly, Tony completely broke down, sobbing his heart out onto Rhodey's shoulder, muttering incorrigible phrases. Once or twice Rhodey thought he could make out "Pepper" … "so sorry" and "all my fault". Deciding that yes, he did need him to see them into the house, Rhodey walked round to the other side of the car, took Tony by the hands, and led him into the house. Before they reached it, it flew open. There in the doorway stood Pepper, First Aid kit in one hand, and cup of steaming hot chocolate in the other.

"What happened?" She asked Rhodey, who shook his head.

"We need to calm him down first. I promise I'll tell you though, just not now." Nodding, Pepper led them to the couch. Lying Tony down on it, Rhodey faced Pepper. "Does he have any spare clothes or anything that we can get him into?"

"Yes, they're in his bedroom, underneath his pillow. Could you-?"

"Yes of course Pepper" Rhodey replied, a small smile on his lips. Seeing him ascend the stairs, she turned her attention back to Tony. He was gazing transfixed into her eyes, tears still running down his face. Sitting him up, Pepper handed him the hot chocolate.

"Here you go Tony. This will make you feel better, I promise."

"Thanks Pep." His voice was hoarse.

"Shh.. try not to speak Tony, you need to rest." Pulling out the First Aid kit, Pepper started to attend to his many wounds, only stopping when Tony winced to ask if he was ok. He always said he was, but they both knew he was lying.

Coming back down the stairs, Rhodey came to a halt, Tony's pyjamas clutched in his hands. On the couch were Tony and Pepper, fast asleep in each others arms. The First Aid kit was lying next to the now-empty mug on the table, completely forgotten about. Smiling to himself, Rhodey felt a little calmer. Despite a heavy day, he could tell just how peaceful they were all finding this. Walking into the room, he almost jumped. Pepper was awake!

"Hey Rhodey" Her voice was a little hoarse. "Should we move him?" Gesturing to Tony fast asleep who was lying beside her, hugging her waist.

"Probably yeah. He'll need a good sleep tonight, and that means in a bed I'm afraid."

Yawning, Pepper stood up and stretched. "Ok" she yawned. "How are we going to move him to his bedroom?"

"I'll carry him" Scooping Tony up in his arms, Rhodey led the way to Tony's bedroom, Pepper right behind him. She waited outside as Rhodey changed Tony into his pyjamas, and smiled sleepily at him as he came out of the bedroom. "Are you going to be alright Pepper?"

"Yes I'll be fine. Don't worry about me Rhodey."

"Ok. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call me, no matter what time it is."

"Of course. Thank you very much Rhodey."

Seeing him to the front door, she waved as he drove back into the night. Then, as he went out of sight, she ran back up to Tony's bedroom. Entering it, she saw that Tony was sitting upright, sweat pouring down his face.

"Hey Tony, it's alright, I'm here, don't worry"

"Pepper! I had a nightmare, I was at a police station, and they said that I had been really naughty and – hey, what are you doing?" For Pepper had undressed herself, put on one of Tony's t-shirts, and had climbed into bed.

"I'm going to sleep here tonight. You need to rest Tony"

"Ok Pep" he mumbled, already falling back to sleep "You're the best, you know that don't you?"

"Thank you Tony"

"And I really appreciate it.. you being here… and everything.. and Pepper? You know…" But Pepper would never find out what she knew, for Tony had fallen asleep, his head resting on her lap. Smiling to herself, she settled down against the duvet, and, knowing that Tony wouldn't remember any of this tomorrow, she too fell sound asleep.

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**A/n: Sorry for the angst at the end, but I felt it was necessary. Please let me know what you think :)**


	8. Chapter 7

**A/n: Hello again! I hope I didn't keep you waiting for too long! First of all - just to clear a few things up to everybody - this chapter is a continuation from chapter 6A, not 6B. However, remember that John and him had a fight (quite a large one in fact) so he has a fair few injuries.**

**HAS ANYONE SEEN THE LATEST IRON MAN 3 TRAILER THAT HAS BEEN RELEASED? IT IS SOOO GOOD OH MY GOSH IT LOOKS AMAZING I AM SO EXCITED! AND THERE WERE AWESOME PEPPERONY GLIMPSES IN THERE TOO, SO YIPPEE!**

**GaspILostATooth1: Any time, I'm mentioning you again! :D You are probably one of my favourite reviewers actually, your reviews make me so happy! Thank you :D**

**NCISVILLE: OH MY GOD YOU ARE ONE OF MY FAVOURITE WRITERS! AND YOU LIKE MY STORY! YAYAYAYAY :'DDDD Whoo yay thank you so much!**

**A big thank you to all my reviewers, the constant one's and the one-off one's - you're all awesome, thank you so much for each word you write :D**

**Once again: thank you to everyone who's reading this, and obviously I am not RDJ, nor do I own MARVEL for that matter, so I disclaim! :)**

* * *

Chapter 7

When Tony woke up, it was to the delicious smell of pancakes wafting up the stairs into his nostrils. Rolling over, he checked the clock. 9:30am. That was early for him! Starting to sit up onto the pillows, he suddenly groaned. He had completely forgotten that his fight with John had given him a few injuries – well, more than a few.

"Don't you think you're going anywhere Stark." It was Pepper. She was sitting in a chair across the room, with a glass of water in one hand and something that Tony couldn't make out in the other. Smiling up at her, he asked,

"And why is that m'lady?"

"Because, overnight, I had JARVIS do some checks on your body. You have bruised ribs and an almost-broken arm. So, I called Rhodey up and him and I are going to be looking after you for the day" Stunned, Tony didn't know what to say.

"What? No Pepper I'm fine honestly! And why couldn't you have just asked me if I was hurt?" Smirking, he added, "I could have shown you if you had wanted"

"No. And I asked JARVIS because he won't lie or not give the whole truth, if any of it at all."

"Hey!"

"Don't object, I know you Tony. It's what you would have done"

"You know me too well Potts"

"More than I care to admit." She replied, smiling to herself a little. They gazed into each other's eyes, Tony trying desperately to figure out what that last comment had meant, Pepper silently daring him to challenge it. The atmosphere in the room was electric. Tony's breaths were heavy, Pepper's quick and sharp. With his eyes, Tony beckoned Pepper slowly closer to him. Walking over, she sat down on the bed, still gazing intently into his chocolate brown eyes. Bringing a hand to her cheek, Tony gently stroked her soft skin. She brought her hand into his hair, massaging it. Tony tilted his head a little, Pepper opened her mouth a fraction. They're lips were millimetres away, they could feel each other's nervous breath on their faces. Closing her eyes, Pepper brought her face closer to his. It was as if the very air was holding it's breath.

"Pepper!" Rhodey called up the stairs, causing Pepper to jump away from Tony, turning a deep crimson, "Could you come down here a moment? I need some help with the trays"

"I'll be right down!" She called back. Walking back to where her armchair was, she picked up the water and what Tony now recognised as tablets, set them down on the table and telling him to have two before they returned. She did all of this without meeting his eyes once.

* * *

Downstairs, Pepper was furious with herself. She needed to stop loosing control around him! Entering the kitchen, she was greeted with a smiling Rhodey, holding out a tray of food to her.

"Could you take this upstairs for me? I can take the rest but I can't fit this into my arms, sorry!"

"No, no it's fine don't worry – I'll take it up now."

"Thanks Pep"

"No worries. Oh, listen, it's about the police testimony."

"What about it?"

"Nothing's wrong, only that I have postponed it for three days away, hopefully Tony will be feeling a little more up to giving his account etc to them."

"Yeah, good decision Pepper"

"Thanks. I'll take this to him now."

"Ok. Pepper I've got to go to a meeting – are you going to be able to handle him?"

"I think I'll just about survive. I'll call if it gets too drastic." Smiling at him, she picked up the tray of pancakes, along with a set of cutlery, and headed back up to Tony's bedroom, a feeling of increased worry mounting inside of her with every step she took. What was going to happen now? They had almost _kissed _each other, it wasn't something you could just ignore and pretend nothing had happened and carry on as usual!

Pushing open the door, she walked over to Tony, and handed him the tray with a small smile. Taking the tray, Tony placed down onto his bedside table. Then, cutting up a pancake and loading it with chocolate chips, he took a bit. Then, he held the rest out to Pepper.

"Want a bit? It's _really_ tasty"

"Don't worry, I'm fine thanks. You have a bit around your mouth though."

"Could you clean me up?" Tony asked, waggling his eyebrows and smirking to himself.

"No, I think you can do it by yourself funnily enough."

"Fine, then I will." And with that he seductively licked his lips, locking gaze with Pepper. Pepper found herself loosing it. Her breath was becoming quick and rushed, and she was sure Tony could hear her heart beating quickly. A thousand fantasies suddenly popped up into her head, a thousand fantasies that she was _certain _shouldn't be there.

"T-told you" she finally uttered, stumbling and tripping over the words.

"Miss Potts, if I didn't know any better, I would say you just found me licking my lips incredibly sexy" He was definitely grinning broadly now. What she would give to wipe that grin of his stupidly sexy face. "What was that sorry? Didn't quite catch that Pepper." Oh god. Had she said that aloud?!

"Nothing, nothing, just shut up and eat." She stammered, replying a tad too quickly. Tony grinned even more.

"Yes _mummy_" Pepper blushed furiously red at his last statement. Damn that man for having such a ridiculous effect on her. Crossing the room, she picked up her book that she had been reading before Tony woke up, and sat back down on the bed again. With her back against Tony, she began to read again.

Silently setting down his tray so as not to notify Pepper he had done so, Tony crawled up behind her, so he was sitting right behind her. He had decided it when she was downstairs: he was going to get that kiss, and now Rhodey wasn't in the house, there was nothing in the way to stop him. Wrapping his legs around her, he cuddled up next to her, hugging her waist as he did so.

Determinately ignoring him (although she felt incredibly sick from the amount of butterflies that were fluttering inside her stomach), Pepper continued to read, acting as if he wasn't there.

_Fine, be that way_. Tony thought to himself. So, he upped his actions. He loved watching Pepper struggling with herself. It was so entertaining. Pressing his lips lightly to the base of her neck, he trailed delicate kisses up her neck. He felt her shiver beneath him. Delighted, he continued to kiss her neck, now and again stopping to nibble lightly on her ear, whilst running a hand through her silky red hair. He heard her moan softly – so quietly it was practically undetectable.

"How's your book, Pep?" He asked, each word punctuated with a kiss to her beautiful neck.

"Fine thank you" she gasped, breathing heavily. Tony grinning. She knew that he knew just what affect he was having on her. But he didn't stop. Continuing to kiss her gently, he took the book from her slightly wobbling hands, and dropped it to the floor. Now there was absolutely nothing between them, and that kiss. Judging from Pepper's reaction, she obviously had realised this too. Twirling her around so their legs were entwined together, he began to press chaste kisses to the corner of her mouth. Hearing her groan, he grinning against her skin.

_Right, that's it. _She thought. _If he wants a kiss, he's going to have to work for it. _Moving her mouth away from his, she rested her head against his shoulder and started to feel his muscular chest through his shirt. Feeling his body tense, she continued to move her fingers along his chest, watching his expression change rapidly. Moving closer to him, she trailed her fingers along his back, tracing his spine with her fingers. Her touch was feather-light. Moaning, Tony leaned in to her, all thoughts forgotten as he allowed himself to be brought into a devilish heaven.

Suddenly she withdrew her hand. Tony immediately missed it's mischievous touch.

"Right. Let's get your ribs sorted then, shall we?" Tony just groaned as an answer. He had literally been _this _close, and once again he had been denied what he most desperately wanted – _needed_.

He watched Pepper as she went into the en-suite bathroom, following her long legs as they walked across his room.

When she returned, it was to find a depressed Tony lying on the bed, with his eyes closed. Pepper grinned cheekily to herself. She was enjoying playing with him, it gave her a satisfying feeling to know that he was experiencing just a slice of the hell she'd been going through these past few days – few weeks, actually. Setting the ointment on the table, she sat back down on the bed so she was straddling Tony's hips. His eyes instantly flew open.

"I've talked to JARVIS, and he's advised me that the best thing to do is put this ointment on your ribs to help them heal – seeing as you refuse to visit the hospital." Pepper told him, acting oblivious to his clear panic and ecstasy that her position had put him in. She paused a moment, debating how much she wanted Tony to suffer. _One hell of a lot _she decided.

Grabbing the top of his shirt with her hands, she pulled herself close to him – their noses meer millimetres away from one another's. Then, keep her eyes locked onto his, she slowly unbuttoned his shirt with the one hand; the other on his skin, following the path of the opening shirt. Then, when all the buttons were open, she pulled the shirt off him, still keeping firm eye contact with him. Reaching for the ointment – and letting her hair brush over his face as she did so – Pepper sat back upon him, wriggling a bit to get comfy. Tony gasped.

"Are you ok?" Pepper asked, feigning innocence of her actions, "are your ribs hurting?"

"No – no, it's just- AH!" Tony broke off mid-sentence to gasp again, as Pepper's cold hands began to slowly massage his ribs, rubbing the ointment into his skin.

* * *

Tony was in hell. Every single thing she did was driving him crazy. Even her innocent question was enough to drive him into insanity. Surely she must know what she was doing to him? How could she not?!

When he felt her cold hands begin to massage his ribs, he knew he was on the brink of loosing it. She was torturing him, putting him into the deepest section of hell there was.

"Are you ok Tony?" She asked him again.

"Pepper that's _so good, _please don't stop, please" he blurted out, not capable of controlling his words anymore.

It wasn't just her touch that was good (it was absolutely incredible in fact), it was also the ointment that was good. In hell he may be, but there was no doubt that the ointment was certainly working. His ribs were still sore, however with each devilish massage, he felt them getting slowly less painful.

* * *

As she worked the ointment into Tony's skin, Pepper realised that his eyes were closed. When he had told her that it was 'so good', and that 'don't stop, please', Pepper's spirits had soared so much she thought the roof was soon going to lift off with the strength of them. Continuing to massage his ribs, she placed a small kiss in between her hands. Hearing him moan, she grinned broadly. _This_, she thought, _was on track to be one of the best days of her life._

* * *

**A/n: So I was way to happy when I wrote this :P I JUST LOVE THEM SO MUCH WOO! Side note for you all, would you prefer if I wrote in Tony's PoV more often? I find Pepper easier to write so most of these chapters are in her PoV, but I'm curious as to what you think. Keep to mainly Pepper's PoV, or write more in Tony's? Let me know! If you're not fussed, leave me a review anyway! ;) **


	9. Chapter 8

**A/n: I'm back! I think this has been the longest time since I last updated, I'm so sorry! I hope you guys didn't miss me too much :3 **

**Now, BIG NEWS (that I forgot to mention last update): ANOTHER ONE OF MY FAV AUTHORS, STARKOBSESSED, IS FOLLOWING THIS STORY! YAAAY! :D**

**In other news, thank you to everyone who provided me their opinion as to which PoV I should use more often. You'll be please to note that this is mostly Tony's PoV! Yay! I hope you like it, please let me know how I did! It was quite challenging actually, so hopefully my efforts have paid off :D**

**Thank you once again to GaspILostATooth1, you're awesome!**

**Unfortunately, this chapter is a bit more serious than the last one. However we end on fluff, so please don't hate me! :3**

**Enjoy :)**

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Chapter 8

His body was on fire. Pepper had finished massaging the ointment onto his skin, and when she finished, it was hard to prevent the moan of disappointment escaping his lips. It was crazy how one person could make him feel this way. Sure, he could feel deeply attracted towards a person – he had done, many times in fact, then ended up sleeping with them – but it was a totally new experience for Tony to remain deeply attracted to them. Usually his lust only lasted the night, then it would be gone before the morning sun.

He was sitting upright in bed, waiting for Pepper to return. She had gone downstairs to fetch something. Before she went, she had placed another glass of water with two tablets on his bedside table, telling him to "Drink up, it will make you feel better". Tony's brain had barely absorbed her words, too focused on the fact that her shirt was unbuttoned two lower than usual.

Now however, he reached for the glass, swallowing the tablets in one loud gulp.

A strange feeling washed over him as soon as he let the pills enter his body. It seemed that the arrival of such rare a thing as medicine (according to Tony's body anyway) had completely struck his body unawares. A kind of black tidal wave was washing over him, beckoning him forwards. It made him feel sleepy, yet happy also. He didn't even try to resist the wave as it beckoned him forwards into a dark oblivion.

* * *

Downstairs, Pepper waited anxiously for the medics to arrive. She felt incredibly guilty for drugging Tony, but her, JARVIS and Rhodey had decided that it was the best thing to do – they all knew how much he hated hospitals. Therefore, they were bringing the hospital to him. Hearing the doorbell ring, Pepper rushed over to it, calmly opening the door for the medics.

"Where should we set up ma'am?" One of them asked her, gesturing to the equipment they had brought.

"I think his workshop – he'll be most comfortable there. Follow me." Leading the medics down the stairs, Pepper stopped outside the workshop. Typing in her personal code (whilst making sure nobody was watching of course), she lead the medics into a conjoining room from the main workshop. "Here you are, JARVIS and I have already set some things up, is this ok?"

"Perfect ma'am, thank you very much. Where is Mr. Stark?"

"He's upstairs. He's drugged, and he should wake up in about 3 hours. Will this be a good enough measure of time?"

"Yes, perfect thank you. If he wakes then we have drugs too which will keep him under." The medic smiled. She was female, and had a knowing smile on her face which suggested to Pepper that she knew, or had a very accurate guess about how Pepper was feeling. Feeling uncomfortable, Pepper asked the group at large,

"Shall I lead you to where Mr. Stark is?" Nodding, 3 men accompanied her back up the stairs towards Tony's bedroom. Watching them bring an unconscious Tony down and into their make-shift hospital, Pepper said that she was going to make some tea, if anybody wanted it. She exited the room as quickly as possible.

* * *

Tony was still falling through the black oblivion. Yet he didn't feel happy and tranquil now, he felt panicked and confused, not understanding why he was here. It didn't make sense. Surely if this was the right place to be, Pepper would be by his side, supporting him as she always was. Pepper. _Pepper! _Why wasn't she here? Had John taken her again? If so why was he here, he needed to get out, needed to find her, save her! Struggling against the compressing darkness, Tony flailed and kicked, desperately trying to escape the invisible bonds that were tying him here. Suddenly, he felt something prick his arm. Yet when he looked down, he couldn't see anything, it was all black. Then he felt that surreal wave of happiness and tranquillity wash over him again. No, no not again! He had to fight, had to fight against it, had to fight for Pepper! Yet he could sense the wave was winning. But he couldn't give up, he couldn't, he must continue fighting, never let the wave take over him. He wouldn't let the wave drag him down, he would stay near the surface, he wou-

* * *

Tony seemed calm. Watching him, Pepper couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He had gone through so much, done so much to keep her safe, and now she was repaying his love by making him go through the one process which he absolutely hated? It was cruel. _She _was cruel. Yet she also knew that she did the right thing calling the medics. As much fun as it was to make Tony suffer (it was lots of fun, and as soon as he was better Pepper make no haste to do it again), Pepper also knew that he did need care. He would never admit it, but the fight with John had given him serious injuries.

Pepper also wondered what had become of John. She knew that his current lodgings were at Malibu Prison (he was on trail for sex offense, her and Tony were required at the Police Station to give their statements in three days time), but she had had no contact with or from him since that night in Tony's bedroom. Should she call him? No, she'd see him in three days time, she'd talk to him then. Now, she just needed to focus on Tony. Looking over at him, Pepper saw that he was beginning to stir. Dread started to consume her. How would he react when he woke up in something that was identical to a hospital bed, with heart monitors and other devices surrounding him, and his arm in a sling?

* * *

After much struggle, Tony had finally found the exit from the darkness. As soon as he began to ascend the climb, hope filled his body, consuming him, so he was incapable of any negative thought. He would be able to see Pepper again. He would be able to see if she was alright. A faint beeping sound reached his ears. Strange. It was reminiscent of a hospital, but why would he be in a hospital? Pepper would never… he would have felt himself being moved surely… wait, did he fall asleep? Why did he even get consumed by that tidal wave anyway? What did it mean?

The beeping was growing steadily louder. No, he couldn't be in a hospital. He wouldn't let himself be in a hospital. Surely Pepper would have protested against it? Pepper… the last thing he could remember was her telling him to take those pills… had she _drugged _him? She had drugged him! The traitor! How could she, she knew how much he hated the whole thing… why would she drug him?

The hospitalised beeping was now ringing in his ears, he was getting ever-closer to the end of his climb as well, he was so close now. With a flash, Tony's eyes flew open. Delighted that he had his eyes back, he looked around. He was in a bed, surrounded by equipment… medical equipment? Yes, it was medical, he could see the irritating beeping machine. Yet, when he took a closer look at his surroundings, he became confused. The room he was in looked remarkably like a room coming off from his workshop. Feeling even more confused, he sat up. Ow. His ribs felt like a pit of fire, and sitting up had enabled him to discover that his arm was in a sling. Now he was truly panicking. He was in a hospital after all! The fact that he thought he was in his workshop was probably just his eyes playing tricks on him. After all, his vision was a little hazy. His mind probably jumped to the first real safe place he knew. Looking around, he saw something which truly did make his whole body jump. For there, sitting on his right, was Pepper.

"Hey Tony." Her voice sounded anxious and scared. Tony didn't have a clue as to what to say.

"What have you done?" He asked calmly, despite his insides wanting to scream at her.

"I- oh Tony please don't be mad – I only did it because-"

"Because WHAT Pepper?" His voice was practically a shout. He was furious at her. How could she have put him in a hospital? _How?!_ "You drugged me! DRUGGED me! You know how much I hate hospitals, and yet that obviously doesn't mean anything to you – obviously _I _don't mean anything to you – because you went and drugged me and placed me in this hell!" Tears were escaping from his eyes. Wiping them away furiously, Tony looked back at Pepper. "Well?" He asked, waiting for an answer from her. No answer came. Instead she just looked down at the floor. "_Well?" _He asked again. Still nothing.

"Do you know why I hate hospitals, Pepper?" His voice was deadly relaxed. "Because it reminds me of my parents." After a pause, he continued, "When my mum fell ill, dad tried to hide it at first. Then he realised that she was dying, _dying _Pepper, and needed to take her to the hospital. He stayed by her side all night, never letting go of her hand. In the morning, he had to go to work. He had an _important meeting_–" Tony snarled the words, "-to go to. When he got back, she was dead. He had been too late. He hadn't even been with her when she died. They said he died of shock. I never found out the truth. To this day I don't know how he died. But I know this. The hospital couldn't save her. They didn't tell me that, but I could tell. So do you think-" His voice had risen now, a determined fire in his eyes, "-that I'm just going to lay here, and put my life in the medics hands? No. No Pepper, I'm not." Sitting up quickly (and ignoring the sharp pain in his ribs as he did so), Tony tried to get out of the bed. But as soon as he did so, he felt a sharp pain shoot up his arm. "Argh!" Tony groaned, lifting the covers off himself so he could see what was happening. Whilst discovering that he was only in his boxers, he found that there were several wires connected to his injured arm. However before he could even raise a finger, a pale arm was pushing him back. Looking up, Tony saw it was Pepper. He saw that she had tear tracks down her face. Oops. He hadn't meant to make her cry, he… well he didn't know what he had meant to do. He had never, _ever_, told anyone that story. Probably because he was scared that they might tell someone else. But he knew that he could tell Pepper, because he knew that she would never tell anyone, not even Rhodey.

"Let me do it Tony. Just sit back and don't fidget ok? This might hurt a little – well, sting a little." Obediently, Tony lay back against the pillow, not uttering a sound as Pepper silently pulled the multitude of wires off his drug-filled body. Only once did he wince as Pepper tugged gently at a tube in his arm, pulling it free off his body. As soon as she finished, Pepper helped him stand up and placed one of his arms around her shoulder for support. When he tried to shrug it off, Pepper just replaced it again with a stern look on her face. Tony knew it was pointless trying to pull it off again. So he gratefully let her guide him up the stairs and into his bedroom, where she kissed him on the cheek; lifted up the covers; and helped him to climb in.

When she turned to go however, Tony grabbed her arm.

"Please Pep. Stay. Just tonight. I won't do anything I promise. I need you tonight Pep. You know you're all I have." At this Pepper's eyes burned with new tears. Hearing him say that was heart breaking. From Tony, it was the same as a love confession.

Nodding, Pepper climbed into bed beside Tony, snuggling up to him, all thoughts of telling him about meeting the police in three days forgotten.

"I'm sorry about getting the medics Tony." She whispered, a single traitorous sob escaping her lips. Rolling her over, Tony pulled her into his bare chest. A sob escaped him too as they held each other tightly, not preventing their sobs from flowing from their eyes, grateful for one another's comfort.

"Don't worry Pep. I overreacted, I shouldn't have, I didn't mean to make you cry. I just hate having it all bottled up inside me, and you're the only person I can truly trust." At this, she just cried harder.

"No you c-can't!" She told him between sobs. "You s-shouldn't t-trust me after w-what I did!"

"I know you were only looking out for me. I know you only did it because you were worried about me. So don't beat yourself up, ok?" Tony wiped the tears from her eyes with his thumb. Even with her face covered in tear tracks, a hair a mess and her eyes all red and puffy, Tony couldn't think of anyone more beautiful. "You're beautiful Pepper Potts." At this, Pepper smiled up at him and hugged him even tighter.

"Thank you. So are you." Pretending to blush, Tony covered his face in his hands.

"Oh stop it, you're making me blush!" At this she laughed. It was so good to see her happy – happy with him. Her laugh was contagious. As soon as Tony started to join in, he couldn't stop. They lay there clutching each other for about 5 minutes, laughing themselves hoarse.

Finally they stopped, and the only thing you could hear was the sound of their rugged breaths, trying to catch them back again.

"Seriously though Pepper, you are the most beautiful person I know." Pure emotion cut through his voice.

"I'm not prettier than any of the girls you used to bring. With my hair all messed up and my eyes all red."

"Virginia Potts you listen to me right now." Their eyes were locked onto each other's. "The difference between you and the girls I used to bring home is this: They are fake. You are real beauty, yes, even when your hair is all messed up and eyes are red. The fact that you can embrace yourself and not feel like you have to constantly wear make-up and be perfect around me – around anyone – makes you special Pepper. You're my kind of beautiful."

She didn't know what to say. She had never experienced Tony like this, so free. She smiled, her heart swelling with joy, pride and love for Tony Stark. Reaching a hand into his hair, she pulled their bodies closer.

Her lips were so close to his. His heart was racing, he knew this was the moment. Running his hand down her arm, he interlaced her fingers with his. They both stared down at there joined fingers. Then, smiling at her, Tony brought his lips lightly to hers. For a moment there was nothing. Then Pepper responded, both their hearts full of love for the other of the pair, their thoughts on nothing but each other.

He tested her boundaries, darting his tongue in her mouth now and again, grinning too against her lips as he felt her form a wide smile.

After a while, Tony broke away. Still holding her, he laid them both back against the numerous comfy pillows.

"I love you Pepper. You're the key to my heart." Instantly he felt his chest release, as if filling the space that was consumed by an invisible band around him. Pepper smiled, and for a moment she was surprised she didn't burst with the love that was in her heart for that man lying over her.

"As are you Tony, I love you too." And their lips met again.

As he kissed her, Tony tried to tell her just how much this kiss meant to him, just how much _she _meant to him.

He knew that there were trials and tough days still to come, but it did not matter. For Tony had Pepper, and Pepper had Tony, and their love would guide them safely through.

* * *

**A/n: N'aww they're just so cute! I love them! So tell me, did you like Tony's PoV? Let me know! Oh and for those wondering, John will be in the next upcoming chapters :)**


	10. Chapter 9

**A/n: I'm back! After 2 weeks! I know :'( I'm so sorry, it's been hectic. Dance show rehearsals, exams, a never ending cycle of homework... I haven't had a free moment! Right, I have good news and bad news:**

**Good news is that it's the start of the Easter Holidays, so that hopefully means more frequent updates!  
Bad news is I have mock GCSEs to revise for, plus an essay to write (I know, my school doesn't really know the definition of 'holidays', eh?) so less free time, but I promise I will devote all my attention to this story - you all deserve it!**

**Once again thank you all to the reviewers, I really couldn't do it without your support!  
Enjoy and thanks for reading :)**

* * *

Chapter 9

Tony's eyes fluttered open to a mass of red hair. Smiling to himself, he once again played back that night. He had told Pepper that he loved her, and Pepper said that she loved him back. Even the memory of it was enough for Tony's smile width to reach breaking-point. He loved her so much, and admitting it to her had been the more than the perfect scene he had imagined in his head of the moment. Two days had passed since then, and for Tony, they had been some of the best days of his life. Sure, nothing especially different had taken place, it was just the small things: being allowed to sneak up behind Pepper to give her a kiss when she least expected it; greeting her after she returned from SI with a hug and a kiss; and, most of all, being allowed to finally to the things he had wanted to do for so long. Well, not _all _the things, but Tony wasn't annoyed or disappointed at that. Just being with her was enough.

Rolling over so he was lying flat on his back, Tony remembered one other thing. Today was the day they were going to the Police station for Pepper to give her testimony about John. To begin with Tony was required to as well, but apparently John had asked for him not to do so. Tony wasn't complaining. He wasn't sure he'd be able to hold it in if he saw him close up again. Instead, the Police had given him a warning and a large fine to pay. However, Andrew (the friendly police man who Tony was on good terms with) had informed him after that they were only punishing him because it would reflect badly on them if they didn't – the Police knew Tony was only just going to it again, and they knew that Tony knew where the line was.

He was determined to support Pepper when the time came. He knew that Pepper would appear strong, for who's sake he knew not, and that she would appear cool and confident in front of John – and she would give him _that look _that Tony knew so well. He has never told her, and probably will never tell her, just what effect that look has on him. If he did, he would probably earn a playful – or not so playful depending on what mood she was in – slap to the arm. Which would only make the feeling worse. Sighing, Tony closed his eyes. Life was so annoying at times.

Deciding he should have a shower, Tony turned to get out of the bed. Then he felt a soft hand on his arm, pulling him back. Twisting his head around, he saw Pepper had reached for his arm.

"Don't go!"

"I'm not leaving, I'm just going for a shower."

"Oh… alright then." She paused, appearing to be pondering something.

"What, want to join me?" Tony said, waggling his eyebrows at her and winking.

"No. Go and clean yourself up mister, somehow I don't think you'll be very productive if I'm with you."

"Trust me Pep, I'll be _very _productive." Tony said, a sly smile on his face.

"Hilarious. Go and have a shower while I get dressed. No arguments." When Tony didn't move, she added, "Now!"

* * *

Downstairs, a fully dressed Pepper was in the kitchen making breakfast. It had certainly been weird these past few days, putting whatever it was she was having with Tony into action. Not that that didn't mean she wasn't enjoying it. Quite the contrary in fact. She was absolutely loving it. Pleased, she had discovered that Tony had a soft, romantic side to him, one she was positive that he had never let anyone else experience. It was different to his 'I'm going to get you into my bed and you know it' kind of charm. This was a more subtle magic, one Pepper could tell came straight from his tattered heart. It was the side of him that was reserved for her and her only, and Pepper was never going to abandon it. Why? Because she loved him.

Hearing Tony's footsteps coming down the stairs from his bedroom (currently she refused to call it _their _bedroom), Pepper poured the pancake mixture into the pan and started to make the pancakes.

* * *

Coming down the stairs, Tony was greeted with the delicious smell of pancake batter wafting through the kitchen doors. Entering, Tony smiled to himself. There was Pepper, tossing pancakes whilst humming a tune to herself.

"Good morning beautiful." Tony said, coming up behind her to give her a hug, resulting in Pepper dropping the pancake out of surprise. Sighing, she grumbled,

"You could have warned me you know. That was a perfectly decent pancake right there. Next time tell me." Bending down, she picked the now-dirty pancake up and threw it into the bin.

"Not if you dropping pancakes means I get some more of that view." Tony replied, smirking. Pepper only huffed in a half-amused way, and went to fetch a plate.

"Haha." She said dryly, "Now, go and make yourself useful by sitting down." Ushering him away, she turned her attention back to the batter in the pan.

Having made breakfast, Pepper sat down at the table with Tony, two plates in hand. Setting one before each of them, she filled herself a glass of apple juice and began to eat. Tony followed suit.

They were both quiet throughout the meal. Pepper thinking about the day's events which lay ahead, Tony thinking about all Pepper's possible reactions to them. But he knew from 10 years that she was a hard person to predict. That was some of the reason why he liked her so much. She was different, always keeping him on his toes. Unlike the other girls whom he had bedded, Pepper had personality – she had flaws, and she had morals.

"You ok?" He asked, looking at the clock. "We've got half an hour before we have to leave."

Glancing at the clock also, she replied, "I'm a little nervous, but otherwise ok thank you. Are you ok?" Tony simply nodded in response.

Half an hour came and went, and the couple were just about to leave. Before he opened the front door, Tony took Pepper's hand and kissed it.

"Pepper it is likely that there will be reporters and paparazzi waiting outside. Just keep your head down, don't say anything and you'll be fine. Ok?"

"Ok." She confirmed with a confident nod of her head. "Let's go Tony."

* * *

Feeling the car pull up outside the police station, Tony and Pepper prepared to leave. Opening the car door, Tony felt the regular twang of irritation when he saw the paparazzi all crowded round. Why couldn't they just leave him and Pepper alone for one moment? Managing to avoid their questions and the flashing lights as best as he could, Tony guided Pepper through them and into the station.

"Ms Potts, Mr Stark." A police man nodded to them at their entrance. "This way please." Complying, they followed him through the building. Tony noticed that Pepper's skin had turned a pale white when they had entered. He hoped that this would go ok, and that they would avoid, or preferably not see, John at all. He knew what effect John had on Pepper's mind, and it certainly wasn't a positive one. Throwing a hopeful prayer skywards, Tony wrapped his arm protectively around Pepper's waist and smiled down at her. She smiled back. Walking through the front door hand in hand, Tony received a small bump on his arm. Turning around, he saw two police men standing there.

"Mr Stark we're sorry however only the testifier is allowed to proceed into the room. If you would like to follow me please." One of them said. Tony felt fury bubble up in his stomach. He was positive this was John's doing, no way would the police not allow him to accompany Pepper!

"No way. I'm going with Pepper!" Tony said defiantly.

"No Tony, you have to go. It's ok, don't worry!" Pepper protested. Tony opened his mouth to argue, then closed it again at the look on her face.

"Fine." He gave in to her, as always. Leaning in (the police seemed to be embarrassed and looked away), Tony whispered in her ear, "But if anything – anything at all – happens to you, then I am coming straight in there. Understand?" Shaking her head in amusement, Pepper nodded. Kissing him on the cheek, she waved as Tony followed the police men around the corner and out of sight.

Sighing, Pepper turned back around and followed the remaining police man through the seemingly never-ending labyrinth of corridors and passageways. At last, they reached a large, grubby, metal door.

"Nothing to worry about Madam, you just have to go in there; answer some questions; and come out. Simple." He smiled down at her in an encouraging manner. Smiling back at him, Pepper replied:

"Alright. Thank you for all your help." Letting him open the door for her, she waved politely, watching him walk away.

_Click. _

Pepper froze. That was the unmistakeable sound of the catch being released on a gun. Turning around slowly, she gasped. There, all alone with a gun pointed directly between her eyes, was John.

* * *

**A/n: DUN DUN DUUUNN! Sorry for the cliffhanger yet again, I just couldn't help it :3 I would love to hear (well, read) what you all think, so let me know down below! ;) Thank you all, and Happy Easter!**


	11. Chapter 10

**A/n: It's been over two months. TWO MONTHS! Oh my gosh guys I am so so SO sorry! I didn't forget about this story I promise, but what with exams, school, friend problems, I've been super busy! However, I have ****_finally _****managed to finish this chapter, so I hope you all forgive me and love it! Also I'd just like to say a huge thank you to all my reviewers - 95 reviews! Could we make it to 100? :D**

**And so, without futhur ado, I present: The Key to My Heart, Chapter 10.**

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Chapter 10

The whole world seemed to freeze. It was as if the shock was literally stopping her body from functioning. All she could do was stand there, mouth open and aghast, fear and panic slowly creeping into her blood.

"John… what… how… I don't- what?" The words tumbled out of her, she had absolutely no control over what she was saying. John smirked. Pepper could tell that he had planned this down to the last minute, and was incredibly smug with himself that it had worked.

John dragged a chair into the centre of the room. "Sit." He commanded. Pepper didn't move. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. "Your problem." John said, grabbing Pepper's wrists and forcing her down onto the chair, still with the gun pointed at her head. He tied her hands around the back of the chair and her ankles to the feet of it, ensuring she couldn't move an inch. Once he had done this, John grabbed another chair and placed it so it was facing Pepper. He sat down. "Shall we talk?" Pepper just glared at him. She couldn't see a way out. She couldn't move, and besides, John was still pointing the gun at her, so even if she did find a way out she would be killed before she properly began. She was also sure that the police officers outside were in on the plan, and so would provide incredibly little help. The only thing she had was Tony. Oh god, Tony. He was probably still waiting outside, completely unaware of the trouble she was in. If only she could find a way to communicate something to him!

"How did you manage it then?" She asked John, knowing that she had to keep him talking for as long as possible, to get his focus away from the gun.

John smiled a smug smile. "Simple really. You'd be surprised how much people are willing to let slip for a bit of extra gold in their pockets. I learnt the routine of these people, I knew what their schedule was…" but Pepper was only half-listening. Before she had been tied to the chair she had noticed that there were four security cameras in this room – one in each corner. The way she was positioned, two of them could see what she was doing behind the chair with her hands. Slowly, she started to cross her fingers together, and moving her crossed-fingered hand up and down. To anybody watching, it simply looked like she was attempting to escape, but if _Tony _saw, then she knew he would instantly understand. A while back, they had decided to make a sign which the other would recognise, a sign signalling that they were in trouble.

Of course, her whole plan could fail if Tony hadn't hacked into the station's security cameras, however somehow Pepper doubted it. Tony was an extremely protective man – especially over her – and was extremely likely to be watching her currently.

"…And so here we are now, with me holding a gun and you tied up against that chair." John finished, still smiling at her. Pepper faked a smiled back, her head racing. Would Tony get the message? Would he arrive on time?

BANG.

They both jumped. John leapt up from his chair making an equally forceful noise, and Pepper, turning her head so she could see what was going on, cried out in shock and relief: there, standing in the door frame, was Tony. John pulled at Pepper, seemingly forgetting that she was tied to the chair, resulting in her almost falling off it.

"Oh I'd leave her alone if I were you." Came Tony's rough voice, glaring at John.

"Or what?" He asked, mockingly, "I fail to see any sort of guard or weapons with you."

A soft click. He had released the cap on the gun. Pepper froze.

"Do you really want to do that?" Tony asked, his voice a deadly calm.

"I don't see any reason why not, so yeah, I really think I do." John replied, sneering.

"Pepper, do you trust me?"

"What? Yes of course!"

Tony turned back to John. "Alright then. Shoot."

"What! Tony!" Pepper gasped, in a state of utter disbelief. How on earth could Tony say that?

"On the count of three then. It's nicer to know when your last living moment will be – agree, _Virginia_?" John sneered, his gun about one and a half inches from her face.

"_One…_"

"Tony!" Pepper cried out, refusing point blank to accept her situation. This must be wrong, she was _not _going to die, she was _not_…

"_Two…_"

"Oh please, _please_!" She struggled uselessly against her bonds, desperately trying to escape. She couldn't die, not now, not with Tony standing here, doing _nothing_…

She could feel the tears burning in her eyes. She closed them, not wanting to be able to see either John or Tony's faces. _Breath in, exhale. Inhale, exhale. _

"_Three!_"

Silence, but for a tiny pop. What? Pepper could still think, she could still hear things. She definitely did _not _feel dead. Opening her eyes, her mouth dropped. About an inch away from her face was a tiny flame – one perfect for lighting a cigarette. _The gun was a fake. And Tony had known._

She blinked through her tears, searching for Tony's gaze. He looked… Pepper couldn't tell what expression he wore.

"Entré guys!" He called behind him, into the hall. Instantly half a dozen police officers came into the room, handcuffing John and thanking Tony. One of them said,

"John Harrison, known criminal. You ought to be more careful who you date, miss." Pepper looked shocked.

"I'm sorry, please, I just needed proof of his guilt, I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry." Tony rambled, frantically untying her bonds. When she was free, Pepper wasted no time in holding the man tightly in a bone-crushing hug, tears threatening once more to spill over.

"Shh, it's ok, I forgive you, everything's fine." She replied, her voice slightly muffled into his shirt. She subconsciously noticed that they were alone in the room. The officers seemed to have sensed that a quite moment between the two was required. Tony pulled out of the hug. He wiped away her tears from around her eyes, still looking sad.

"No Pepper, I should have told you, I didn't know how, I'm sorry." He repeated the last two words over and over again – only stopping when Pepper put a soft hand to his cheek. Softly caressing it, she pressed a small chaste kiss onto his lips, smiling at him.

"Stop apologising! I knew you wouldn't let him kill me, you're too good a man to let that happen." Tony weakly smiled back at her.

"What have I ever done to deserve you?" He wondered out loud.

"You've given me the best job in the world, you've saved my life more times than I can count, but most of all Tony, you've always been there for me. I love you."

"I love you too Pepper, so, _so _much." He replied, softly pressing their lips together, the kiss an unspoken promise between them both, a promise of trust, of belief, _of love_.

* * *

**A/n: Ahh I just love fluffy endings :D Hope you liked it! Oh, and did anyone get the Star Trek reference? John Harrison? No? Ok... **

**Now, I do actually have something important to say, so listen - well, read - up! This will probably be the last chapter of this fic, and I would just like to thank every single one of my reviewers who has given me their opinions - I couldn't have done it without you! Thank you to my friends, for your interest in this story and my writing. Thank you to MARVEL and all the Iron Man crew - without you this story wouldn't have even existed!**

**Having said this will be the last chapter, I realise that it has all ended in a bit of a rush, so: would anyone like an epilogue?**

**I also realise that I never actually replied to any of your reviews, so at the very end of this story (either next 'chapter' or after the epilogue, we'll see what you guys want) will be my individual thank yous to you all.**

**Thank you all once again, until next story - or next chapter, let's see,**

**PhoenixFeather0198 :)**


	12. Epilogue

**A/n: Hello! For the past 3 weeks I have been away on holiday without any internet, so although I had it all typed up and finished ready to post, my first opportunity to actually do so has been today! **

**This is it, the final chapter, the epilogue to my story. I have loved writing every single word of it, I'm really proud of it and the huge level of positive response to it - in fact, only 2 negative reviews (idk if there'll be any more though :/ :P) overall!**

**Also, I had one review to my last chapter complaining that I was going to end this story when Tony and Pepper 'hadn't even had sex yet'. Sorry to potentially disappoint some of you, but this story will not contain sex. I'm 15 and I don't want to write a sex scene between Tony and Pep, so I'm not going to. I know that there are some other stories on here which do have sex in them, so go and read them if you want sex. Thank you.**

**If anybody would like to translate this story into another language then that is absolutely fine, although if you could PM me to let me know that you are, it would be most appreciated.**

**And so, I present to you all, lovely devoted readers, The Key To My Heart: The Epilogue.**

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Epilogue

Tony was lying on the sofa in his workshop, watching the holographic television. It was the news, and he was waiting to see if they would mention anything about his and Pepper's (ok, mainly Pepper's) ordeal with John. So far they hadn't - although, thought Tony grimly, the programme had barely started.

Pepper seemed to be alright throughout these past couple of days, whenever anything about John came up she didn't show any signs of grief or serious emotion – having said that though, Tony wasn't entirely sure what he should be looking for.

She had cried a lot that night, after they had gone home from the police station. She had curled up beside Tony in his bed, and wept until she had no tears left. Tony had comforted her, had fallen half-asleep beside her – not fully, for when the nightmares came he was there to help her through them, as he himself knew just how bad they could sometimes be.

Apart from that, though, she had not cried about _It _again. Tony wasn't sure whether or not he should be worried about this, however when he had called Rhodey to ask him about it, he had said that there was nothing to worry about.

"And now, onto our bigger stories of the week. The world has been shocked and appalled to learn about the trauma that struck Ms Virginia 'Pepper' Potts, CEO of Stark Industries last week, when she was nearly raped and killed by her ex-boyfriend, John Wright. Wright is now being held by the police, and is due in court next Tuesday. We have not been able to talk to either Ms Potts or Mr Anthony Stark, who, it has been reported, was with her during the time of this incident."

Tony stopped listening. He knew what they would say, and didn't want to hear it. He found that he didn't much care how they would report the story, although he was pleased to hear that John was going to court on Tuesday.

"Well I suppose 'trauma' is a good word to describe it."

Tony jumped. He hadn't noticed Pepper enter the workshop. Turning around, he looked at her. He shrugged.

"Yeah I suppose it is."

"I was talking to the police on the phone just then." Tony sat up straight. What did the police want _now_? "Our statements are required. We're to come in on Thursday. No objections." Pepper added, seeing Tony open his mouth in protest. He grinned sheepishly. Pepper always seemed to know what he was going to do and what his immediate responses were.

He stood up and walked over to her. He _really _didn't want to go to the police station to give his statement. He took Pepper into his arms and pressed a gentle kiss into her neck soothingly.

"You know," he said, in between kisses to her neck, "we don't _have _to go to the police station. I mean," he let his hands wander across her back, tracing circles upon it, "we could probably just do it via the phone. We wouldn't have to go out at all."

Pepper pulled away. "Oh yes we do Anthony Stark and you know it. Kisses and affection, whilst lovely, are getting you nowhere."

"Damn." Tony muttered under his breath. Pepper took him by the hand and led him into the kitchen. She sat Tony down in one of the kitchen chairs and promptly began to make some dinner. It was approaching seven o'clock and all Pepper was tired. All she was in the mood for was some dinner then sleep. "What if I'm not hungry?" Tony questioned. Pepper looked at him. There was something of a smirk playing upon his features, though Pepper couldn't tell what it signified. So, she played along, unsure of the outcome.

"Tony. You're always hungry."

"What if I'm not hungry for _food_?" His signature smirk was on his face, slowly turning into a wolfish grin as Pepper approached him.

"Eat your dinner, then I'll see whether or not I can help you with that little problem." A playful glint was in her eye. Tony leaned up towards her, about to steal her lips for a kiss. Just when their lips were almost touching, Pepper pulled away. "I'll just go and check on the chicken." She walked back to the oven, a huge cheeky smile on her face. Tony's mouth dropped in surprise. He just simply sat there in his chair, gaping at Pepper, until she put a plate of chicken and vegetables (why she insisted on the latter will always remain a mystery to him) in front of him with a simple "Eat."

Tony wolfed his meal down, but Pepper ate slowly – deliberately taking her time. It was always funny to watch Tony getting more and more on edge with the knowledge of what he could be doing with her instead of whatever his current activity was – eating his dinner, in this case.

"_Pepper!_" He whined, willing her with his mind to finish. He knew exactly what she was doing.

Finally, after what seemed to Tony like hours, Pepper finished. Immediately after he saw her swallow, he grabbed her hand and led her upstairs, ignoring her protests of having to tidy the plates away. He only stopped when he reached their bedroom, swinging the door open and lying Pepper down on the soft mattress. He suddenly realised that they had come a full circle: this whole thing started because JARVIS had told Tony that Pepper was in his house – in his bed – and when Tony had gone to investigate, he learned what had happened with John. He silently vowed to never let Pepper into a situation like this again.

"You ok?" Pepper asked, gazing up into his handsome features. In response, he climbed onto the bed and crawled on top of her. He lifted her legs gently, placing them so she was wrapped around him. He traced up the inside of her thighs, pleased to hear a little gasp come from Pepper's mouth at his touch. At the same time, he reached down and took Pepper's lips into a gentle yet possessive kiss, a promise of things yet to come. Pepper wove a hand into his hair, gently tugging at it.

"I'm brilliant Pep."

The End

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**A/n: Please leave me a review! I know that I have not responded to any of your reviews (via PM etc), I am going to post another chapter onto the end of this. It will contain a Thank You and response to every single one of your reviews. Each one brings a happy smile to my face, they really do brighten up my day.**

**See you all soon,**

**PhoenixFeather0198**


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